The Hearst Journalism Award program was established in 1960 to support, encourage and assist journalism education at the college and university levels. The program awards scholarships to students who excel in college-level journalism, and provides matching grants for their schools.
The 61st annual program offers up to 700,000 US dollars in prize money, including five monthly writing competitions, two photojournalism competitions, one audio competition, two television competitions and four multimedia competitions. All departments have championship finals.
The program is open to journalism graduates currently studying at a national university accredited by ACEJMC. The 4,444 students participating in the photojournalism competition are an exception to the main journalism rule. Participants must actively participate in campus media, and must publish articles, photos, or produced news broadcasts or multimedia works, which can be presented in writing, photojournalism, broadcast and/or multimedia competitions.
The William Randolph Hurst Foundation was established in 1948 by the publisher of the same name, William Randolph Hurst, under California non-profit law for educational and charitable purposes. Since then, the Hearst Foundation has donated more than $1 billion in education, healthcare, social services, and the arts across the country.
The Hearst Journalism Awards Program was founded in 1960, to provide support, encouragement, and assistance to journalism education at the college and university level. The program awards scholarships to students for outstanding performance in college-level journalism, with matching grants to the students’ schools.
Participation in the program is open to undergraduate journalism majors currently enrolled in ACEJMC – accredited domestic universities. An exception to the journalism major rule is made for students entering the photojournalism competitions.
Entrants must be actively involved in campus media and must have published articles, photographs, or produced newscasts or multimedia pieces that can be submitted in the writing, photojournalism, broadcast, and/or multimedia competitions.
Please note that the deadline vary from competition to competition.
Application Criteria for The Hearst Journalism Awards Program in USA
Applicants for The Hearst Journalism Awards Program must meet all of the following criteria:
Writing Guidelines
- Each university may submit two entrants’ work per competition.
- A competition entry must be a single article written by a single undergraduate journalism major (or recent journalism graduate) attending an ACESJMC-accredited domestic journalism program.
- The entries must have been published before the students were graduated.
- Only single bylines are allowed.
- Entries must have been disseminated in print or online or both in a campus or professional publication.
- Articles must be appropriate for the competition in which they are submitted, and must be produced and published within the time limitations specified.
- If a story has a credit line, the entrant must include a statement describing the writing, reporting or editing work contributed by the person(s) cited in the credit line.
- If the entry is from a professional publication, it must be verified in an accompanying letter by the publication’s editor attesting that the entry is student work with minimal editing and no editor rewriting.
Photojournalism Guidelines
- Each university may submit two entrants’ work per competition.
- Photo entrants do not have to be journalism majors to enter the photo competitions as long as they are attending a university with an ACEJMC-accredited journalism program or are recent graduates of said program.
- All photo entries must be appropriate to the competition in which they are submitted and must have been made by the entrant.
- One photograph from each entry must have been published in print or online or both during the time period designated to each competition.
- Entries may be submitted from newspapers, magazines, online media or websites.
- If the entry is from a professional publication, a statement from the editor of that publication must be submitted to verify that the photo was the work of the entrant.
- This competition is journalism. The content may not be digitally altered significantly beyond standard optimization as in cropping, reasonable adjustments to exposure, color and contrast, etc.
Audio Guidelines
- Each university may submit two entrants’ work in this competition.
- Radio entrants must be journalism majors attending a university with an ACEJMC-accredited journalism program or must be recent graduates of said program.
- The entries must have been published before the students were graduated.
- A competition entry must be reported originating with and produced by a single student with primary responsibility for the entry.
- Each entry must consist of at least two distinct reports, (at least one news and one feature) totaling no more than SEVEN minutes.
- Entries must have been “aired” in the sense of having been made available to an anonymous audience of substantial size on a station or online or both.
- Reports should be submitted as aired, and not edited substantially for the entry time limit. If a report is longer than the entry time limit, the entrant may enter an edited excerpt.
- Entrants must demonstrate their editing skills on at least one report.
- If the entry is included in a professional website or a professional station’s newscast, the producer or news director must certify in writing that it is primarily the student’s work.
- Entrants who qualify for the Championship may not enter another competition.
- An entrant who has won first place in the Audio Championship is not eligible to compete in future audio competitions.
Television Guidelines
- Each university may submit two entrants’ work per competition.
- Television entrants must be journalism majors attending a university with an ACEJMC-accredited journalism program or must be recent graduates of said program.
- The entries must have been published before the students were graduated.
- A competition entry must be a report originating with and produced by a single undergraduate journalism student (or recent journalism graduate) with primary responsibility for the entry.
- Each entry must consist of at least two distinct reports, totaling no more than TEN minutes.
- Entries must have been “aired” in the sense of having been made available to an anonymous audience of substantial size on a station or online or both.
- Reports should be submitted as aired, and not edited substantially for the entry time limit. If a report is longer than the entry time limit, the entrant may enter an edited excerpt.
- Entrants must demonstrate their editing skills on at least one report.
- If the entry is included in a professional website or a professional station’s newscast, the producer or news director must certify in writing that it is primarily the student’s work.
- Entrants must demonstrate their editing and shooting skills on at least one report. The entrant must attempt to appear in a “stand up” in at least one report.
- All entries must be appropriate to the competition in which they are submitted.
- Entrants who qualify for the semi-final round and/or the Championship may not enter another competition.
Multimedia Guidelines
- Each university may submit two entrants’ work (or two teams in Multimedia IV) per competition.
- Multimedia entrants must be undergraduate journalism majors (or recent journalism graduates) in an ACEJMC-accredited journalism program.
- The entries must have been published before the students were graduated.
- An entry is a single multimedia project executed by the entrant (except in the Multimedia IV – Team Competition).
- An entry must have been posted on the web and the entrant must have completed at least three of the following components: writing, photos, audio slideshows, video, animation, graphics or any other visual tools. Entrants also could have used social media, including blogging. Entries must be journalism, and may not include dramatization, and are defined as a single piece of journalism executed essentially by one journalist.
- If the entry is from a professional website, a statement from the editor must be included verifying that the multimedia piece was the work of the entrant.
Benefits
The 61st annual program offering up to $700,000 in awards, consists of five monthly writing competitions, two photojournalism competitions, one audio competition, two television competitions, and four multimedia competitions – with championship
finals in all divisions.
The finalists in the Championship receive the following scholarships:
- First Place: $10,000
- Second Place: $7,500
- Third Place: $5,000
- Finalists: $1,500
Eligible Nationalities
USA Citizen or permanent resident
Contact:
Hearst Journalism Awards Program
90 New Montgomery Street, Suite 1212
San Francisco, CA 94105
Phone: 415-908-4560
Email: jwatten@hearstfdn.org